"As elections in Greece reduced the immediate risk of the euro area's breakup, China and Indonesia signaled growing exasperation with more than two years of European crisis- fighting that has failed to stem the threat of global contagion."

IMF urges Europe to help refinance Irish bank bail-out
"The International Monetary Fund on Friday urged Europe to help Ireland refinance its crippling bank bailout and consider taking equity in state-owned banks to help Dublin return to bond markets and avoid a second bailout next year."

"With prices for oil, its main export, sliding, Russia is already gearing up for economic troubles, laying plans for spending cuts and a weaker ruble if the global situation worsens further, according to First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov."

India moves to start rupee payments for Iran oil
"Reuters reported that India removed a hefty tax and took other steps to ease payments in its rupee currency for some imports of Iranian oil as it seeks to continue purchases in face of Western sanctions that blocked an earlier payment method."

"By its own admission, the U.S. Navy is straining to meet its operational demands. Regular deployments routinely exceed the old six-month standard, and increasingly, ships are away from home for seven and eight months. The high operations tempo, particularly hard on aircraft carriers and amphibious ships, is expected to continue for the foreseeable future."

Protesters, Sudan police clash over spending cuts
"Anti-regime protesters clashed with police in Sudan's capital on Monday, witnesses said, as President Omar al-Bashir announced a raft of austerity measures aimed at propping up the country's ailing finances."

"The crisis surrounding the German solar power industry deepened on Thursday with equipment maker Centrotherm saying it could no longer use existing credit lines and was talking to its banks, a day after smaller peer SolarWatt filed for insolvency."

Shikoku reactor seen as next restart candidate
"The No. 3 reactor at Shikoku Electric Power Co.'s Ikata nuclear power plant is considered a key candidate to be restarted after two reactors in Fukui Prefecture become the first to be brought back online since the nuclear crisis that began in March 2011, according to informed sources."